April 2011 Blog Posts (5)

With the HITECH Act the healthcare industry is rapidly expanding into the digital age. The use cases for technology in healthcare are growing – everything from making medical records available electronically, social networks for health and medical professionals being created, doctors writing prescriptions online, to consumers scheduling hospital visits or making an insurance claim online. With this growth comes a…

The mitral valve separates the heart’s left atrium from the left ventricle. When the ventricle contracts to send blood to the aorta and out to the body, the mitral valve closes to prevent blood rushing backward into the atrium and back to the lungs. The mitral valve can become stiff and tight, called stenosis or it can become unable to close tightly, called regurgitation. Once the regurgitation becomes sufficiently severe to cause heart failure, the death rate reaches about 5% per year. Most…

Much of today’s foods are “ultraprocessed,” lead to obesity and its ultimate diseases such as diabetes, coronary artery disease, hypertension, many cancers and worsening of diseases such as osteoarthritis.

Ultraprocessed foods originate from just a few grains, namely corn, wheat and soy but these then undergo extensive chemical and mechanical manipulation resulting in compounds that humans have never eaten before. Just look at the ingredients list on many store products and…

Well, probably not a surprise at all. The seeds of coronary artery disease (CAD) are laid down early and over long periods. But given our current pandemic of obesity beginning in childhood, should we worry about an epidemic of chronic disease like diabetes and CAD in the years to come? The clear answer is a resounding “Yes.”

There has been a long term study of military men in the Israeli Defense Force. An article in the New England Journal of Medicine, April 7, 2011 reports…

Medical billing software has become an essential part of every medical office. With the onset of the electronic revolution, accounting via pen and paper has become an outdated, time-intensive process that is no longer used in most societies. This software is continually evolving, and along with this comes a number of valuable benefits.…